Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says the moves connected to her declaring a health emergency in reaction to gun violence in New Mexico is having positive effects.
The Governor held a press conference Tuesday afternoon, along with cabinet members and other state officials to present statistics that would indicate a reduction in shootings in Albuquerque since the emergency was announced over a month ago.
Lujan Grisham says the collective efforts and targeted resources are having a positive impact on public safety.
“And like many of the other issues and emergencies that we’ve had to tackle in this administration this is a whole of government and a set of experts that can actually move the needle and remove barriers that sometimes an individual leader, an individual business, an individual jurisdiction for policing can’t by themselves move,” she said.
The Governor and cabinet members presented a new dashboard now available on the New Mexico Department of Public Safety website that offers updates on progress being made to reduce violent crime in Bernalillo County.
According to the report over 500 arrests were made in September with 20 firearms seized.
The report also shows that gunshot detections have dropped during the month and the inmate population at the Bernalillo Metropolitan Detention Center increased by 11% in September.
Administration officials say some new efforts to contain gun violence and drugs wouldn’t be possible without the emergency orders — such as a mandate that expanded behavioral health services from major medical insurers and emergency funding for wastewater testing for drugs at schools.
